“When I got into the clubhouse (athletic trainer Keith) Dugger had everything laid out as I got the ice,” Hawkins said. “He said, ‘It’s the first day and it’s already time to rebuild you?’^”

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins throws in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, April 2, 2014, in Miami. (Lynne Sladky, The Associated Press)

Hawkins wasn’t the $6-million man with bionic parts. Just a 41-year-old man who joked that he needed a wheelchair to get his locker after a nervy save in the Rockies’ 6-5 victory at Marlins Park.

Hawkins entered with a two-run lead. He escaped, but not before a grudgematch at-bat against Christian Yelich and a heart-sinking foul ball by Giancarlo Stanton.

Yelich grinded through 11 pitches, fouling off sinkers and a changeup before grounding out. Stanton cut the deficit to 6-5 with a hard single to left, but it could have been much worse. As the winning run, he sent a fastball 420-foot to left field that was foul by roughly 20 feet.

“When he hits the ball, it’s different from anything I have every heard. But I knew it was foul,” said Hawkins, who discussed the sequence in the above video.

Manager Walt Weiss admitted that it was uncomfortable seeing Stanton at the plate in the ninth in that spot. But he had a good angle on the shot, saying “it wasn’t going to be a home run because it was hooking off the bat.”

The game was in Hawkins’ hands. There was no one warming up. Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki went to the mound to give Hawkins a breather as did Weiss before Hawkins got Garrett Jones to pop up to third baseman Nolan Arenado for the final out.

“He never gave in,” said Weiss, acknowledging that Hawkins won’t be available to pitch in the series finale on Thursday.

Added Hawkins, “Everybody else gets excited, I have to stay calm. I work better that way.”

The Rockies torched Marlins starter Henderson Alvarez for six runs, then held on with white knuckles. It didn’t help that Carlos Gonzalez left in the sixth inning with dizziness. He said he thought he might have swallowed some of his chewing tobacco while also dealing with dehydration. His conditioned improved within 30 minutes after his exit, leaving him hopeful of playing on Thursday.

“I feel fine now,” Gonzalez said.

Footnotes
Michael Cuddyer, who went 2-for-4, is 13-for-32 at Marlins Park with five doubles and seven RBIs. … The Rockies went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position after going 2-for-11 in the first two losses. … Jordan Pacheco posted his first three-hit game since June 28 of last season. .. Jones is 9-for-16 with nine RBIs in his career off Jordan Lyles after recording two hits Wednesday.